Drink to your Health

Today on my photography blog, I posted this photo for the 52 weeks project I’m part of. Our theme this week was beginnings, and I wrote a little about the changes I’ve been making to the way I eat, and the beginnings of my journey into running.

I mentioned the Crazy Sexy Diet in my last post. When I first started reading it, I knew that it was going to spur change in my life. I was almost scared to start it, but I am so glad I did.

I was a vegetarian for years before I got married, and afterward kind of off and on. I started eating meat and dairy again because it was easier- easier to get protein that way, easier not to cook separate things for myself and my husband, easier to eat out or at other peoples’ homes. Still, I have known all along that it is not the ideal way of eating, and that my body just doesn’t like those things. Animal products and processed foods clog up the system and cause all kinds of problems, and this was always in the back of my mind while I was consuming them and then suffering from stomachaches, headaches, fatigue, heartburn, and skin problems. Well, Kris Carr’s book has brought it to the forefront of my mind again, and I am choosing to treat my body better. I may like the flavors of the food I’ve been eating, but it just isn’t worth feeling awful now and jeopardizing my long-term health. And I know from experience that after a while, those toxins leave your body and you don’t really crave the same foods you once did.

Raw foods, juices, and smoothies are a big part of the Crazy Sexy Diet.
I love smoothies and juicing- they are one of my favorite ways to “eat” my veggies. Kris Carr’s “Make Juice Not War” Green Juice is awesome. You can use romaine lettuce in place of the sprouts, or play around with different greens like spinach and parsley.

Green smoothies are also amazing. I’m not sure I have ever made two exactly the same, but this is one of my basic recipes:

Creamy Greenie Smoothie

1/2 avocado (or 1/4 of one of those really large, lighter-colored ones)
1 banana
handful of spinach
about a cup of coconut water
a drizzle of agave nectar

Then you can go nuts and be creative. Use only half a banana and then add some berries, kiwi, or pineapple. Use cucumber instead of (or in addition to) the avocado. Throw in some broccoli or alfalfa sprouts if you have them. You get the idea. Enjoy :)